Pac-12 Game of the Week: No. 11 UCLA vs. No. 20 Utah
Beginning this weekend, Faspitch News is featuring the Pac-12 Game of the Week in addition to the Series of the Week. The Pac-12 Game of the Week is determined by the spotlight game on the Pac-12 Network. This week’s game is set for a 5 p.m. PT start time.
The first edition of the Pac-12 special, features the No. 11 UCLA Bruins and the No. 20 Utah Utes.
At the Plate
Of the starting nine in the UCLA batting lineup, seven have double-digit runs batted in. Eight of the nine have hit home runs and all of them have hit for extra bases. Kylee Perez leads the way with a .494 batting average. Brianna Tautalafua provides power with eight homers and 22 RBI. Madeline Jelenicki leads the team in RBI with 28 and is one behind Tautalafua in homers. Then there is Delaney Spaudling. The senior is hitting .432, leads the team in runs scored (15), walks (13) and slugging (.815). She is second in hits (35), doubles (8) and homers (7). As a team, UCLA is hitting .331 with 148 runs scored and 35 home runs.
The Utah Utes have three players hitting above .400 (UCLA has two). Anissa Urtez (.485), Hannah Flippen (.463) and Heather Bowen (.422) also happen to be the top RBI producers with 21, 25 and 25 respectively. Flippen leads the Utes in homers with five and Bowen follows with four. Alyssa Barrera leads the team in runs scored (24). In fact, she is almost a guarantee to score when she gets a hit (26). As a team, Utah is batting .343 with 146 runs scored and 13 home runs.
In the Circle
Both programs have a pitch by committee attitude so far this season. The UCLA staff is comprised of Selina Ta’amilo, Rachel Garcia, Johanna Grauer and Paige McDuffee. The first three mentioned each have seven wins and an ERA between 1.06 and 1.98. Grauer has pitched the most innings with 63.2, Garcia is behind her with 56 and Ta’amilo has 39.2. Despite Grauer throwing the most innings, she has given up 10 more hits than Garcia and four more earned runs. Her downfall is control. She has walked 22 this year. Garcia actually leads in strikeouts with 69, eight more than Grauer.
Utah’s ace is Donovan. She is 10-4 with a 1.41 ERA in 64.2 innings pitched. She has allowed 51 hits, 13 earned runs and12 walks while striking out 65. Hilburn and Viramontes have pitched 37 and 35 innings and both have an ERA under 1.00. As a staff, Utah has a 1.02 ERA in 136.2 innings of work.
Analysis and Prediction
Playing a ranked opponent is nothing new for the Bruins, a team that has gone 5-5 against Top 25 competition. Utah’s wins against Tennessee and LSU don’t go unnoticed but those are the only two ranked opponents the Utes have faced. In order for Utah to take the series from UCLA, they will need stellar hitting and consistent pitching. The Bruins are a powerful team that can outhit and outscore the competition when their own pitching is struggling.
Pick: UCLA
